An Age-Old Texas Argument: Tailgate Up or Down?

Click here for info about this green and not-so-green Shebby

When I was a kid, my dad would have me jump out of the truck and put the tailgate down before we jumped on I-20 to head to the lake. He explained to me that the tailgate being up caught a lot of wind and made the truck burn more fuel. And he was the smartest guy in the truck, so I believed him.

So, I was shocked a few years ago when I started seeing people argue about this. Gas prices had skyrocketed and everyone was trying to squeeze every last inch out of every tank. The MythBusters crew even did an episode where they tested it and found that mileage is indeed better with the tailgate UP(!!!) I had run across the same findings on Ecomodder.com and a few other places. The smartest guy in the truck took a great fall...

Well, the Ford engineers must've recently had the same argument, so they tested (and filmed) it on the new F150. The tailgate up camp wins again: Which is more fuel efficient, driving with a pickup's tailgate up or down?

Sorry, Dad.

And while we are on the subject of saving fuel, here are the 109 hypermiling / ecodriving tips ... from the Ecomodder forum. My two favorites are at the bottom - numbers 106 (Drive Like You Pedal) and 108 (More Bob Marley and Less Megadeth).

May you get more miles out of whatever it is that gets you around.

PS. In researching this article, I learned that there is a band who call themselves "Tailgate Down." But you will have to go find them for yourself.

Meet Lucy - And Save Some Fuel!

 This is Lucy. For all of my sighing and dreaming of electric vehicles, Lucy is my current vehicle of choice when I am not on a two-wheeler, when I need to haul something, when I need to travel more than 20 miles or 60mph. She is a 1994 Ford Ranger with a four-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual transmission. I bought Lucy from Janet for an extremely small amount of money and have spent that amount of money again doing some needed repairs. This morning, it was 20 degrees and foggy when I left the Yellowhouse, And I was very thankful to have Lucy. I find myself thankful often to have Lucy.

But it's a bittersweet thankful. Lucy runs on gasoline, and I do not like burning gasoline. I have a long list of reasons I do not like burning gasoline, but we will save those for another day.

Until I can make a switch to a much more Mesquite Hugger-ish vehicle, I want to keep working on ways for Lucy to burn less fuel. So this post is to share a few of the resources that are available.

The best wealth of info I have found for learning how to burn less fuel is a forum called Ecomodder. The posters on Ecomodder regularly reduce their fuel consumption by more than 30% and are happy to share their tips and tricks on the forum. I find their threads downright addictive.

 

While there are many great places on the forum to learn more, I will start you off with a list of 109 Hypermiling/Ecodriving Tips.

 

 

Next on the list is a site and Youtube channel called MPGomatic. While Ecomodder is a forum for the hardcore hypermilers and modders, MPGomatic is more geared for the average Joe or Jo who wants to save fuel and get the most out of their existing ride. MPGomatic started as a Kickstarter campaign, which I gladly supported for the cause AND so I could get a sticker with their rocking logo:

You can find MPGomatic here at MPGomatic.com.

 

 

(I'm also a big fan of the Maryland Terrapins' mascot even though I am not much of an athletic supporter.)

 

May your ride sip rather than guzzle!

 

Bonus link for the day, the Bottle Rockets singing $1000 Car.